But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
In December 1933 the S.S Statendam, flagship of the Holland America Line fleet, sailed from Rotterdam to New York. On board were two Dutchmen — Captain Krol (a former Holland America Line captain) and Leo van Munching (an enthusiastic salesman from Hardewijk).
Captain Krol had been recruited to launch Amstel Bier into America, whilst Leo van Munching, armed with fifty green crates, was to fulfil the same role for Heineken.
Within a few months, Captain Krol returned to the Netherlands complaining that, ‘the American market was impenetrable’. Leo, though he faced the same challenges, was not to be so easily dissuaded;to market his product he adopted some unorthodox approaches, including, ‘storming into a restaurant, striding confidently to the bar and loudly demanding a Heineken, knowing full well that it was not served there.’ ‘The publican would get a chance to set this straight when a Heineken salesman walked into the bar, only a matter of hours after van Munching’s performance, carrying with him a pack of the precious beer and a contract proposal’
His message was bold and simple — ‘Heineken tastes tremendous’ — and despite WW2 slowing his progress, by 1951 they were selling 4.6 million bottles. In 1979 Advertising Age claimed that Heineken accounted for 41% of all imported beer sales in the USA.
Leo van Munching arrived in New York (New Amsterdam) and drove the brand forward with significant religious fervour. He had a clear mission and a simple message.
For us to be Van Munchings here in (Old) Amsterdam will require the same clarity of purpose and story.
Let’s be clear, our message is the ultimate refreshment and our mission — well, it’s down to us.
We have a story. We have the story. We have the one tremendous piece of good news that our world needs to hear. Jesus makes it clear that it’s our job to tell it.
‘Previously…’
You know in TV shows where they do that recap of what happened last week? (Particularly annoying if you’re binging through a boxset…) Well, the first 11 verses of Acts are basically a recap of the last 7 verses of the Gospel of Luke, a ‘previously… in the bible.’ Acts being the sequel to Luke, both written by the same author.
At the end of Luke, Jesus gives this commission:
Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24.46–48)
By witnesses, he doesn’t mean casual observers. Being a witness isn’t primarily about being the observer of the story. We are those who are supposed to give witness, to tell. Being a witness is primarily giving testimony of the story.
Jesus clearly instructs that being a Christian isn’t about being a consumer — passively enjoying the Heineken with our Bitterballen. Jesus commissions us, sends us, charges us to be his witnesses — his salespeople.
As witnesses it is critical that we are clear about what we are giving witness of. If Van Munching had one thing clear it was his message. What is ours? What are we to tell?
In Acts 1 we’re to be my witnesses and in Luke 24 You are witnesses of these things. By which Jesus means that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed…
Many Munchings
The story of Leo van Munching is a good story. But it is just that — a story. We like those tales with one hero against the odds. We don’t name the army of salespeople, all the many Munchings, who came after him but he didn’t ship those 4.6 million bottles alone.
Arguably the three biggest churches in the early church, the first ‘mega churches’, were in Antioch, Rome & Alexandria. Yet, church historians don’t know who planted those churches. Nowhere are they named. There is no Leo van Munching.
At the end of Acts in chapter 28, when Paul finally arrives in Rome, he is greeted by ‘the brothers’ — that’s all we know! A band of brothers, a collection of people (ordinary people) all serving an extraordinary God, carrying the message, being his witnesses.
Here in Amsterdam, we need an army of many van Munchings. We call them witnesses. Christ’s witnesses to the one tremendous story that all men need.